Ecology
Define ecology.
Ecology is the study of the interactions between living organisms and their biotic and abiotic environments. Ecology is therefore the study of the relationship of plants and animals to their physical and biological environment. The physical environment includes light and heat or solar radiation, moisture, wind, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients in soil, water, and atmosphere. The biological environment includes organisms of the same kind as well as all other plants and animals that cohabit the same environmental region, as well as (in some cases) nearby regions.
Because of the diverse approaches required to study organisms in their environment, ecology draws upon such fields as climatology, hydrology, oceanography, physics, chemistry, geology, and soil analysis. To study the relationships between organisms, ecology also involves such disparate sciences as animal behavior, taxonomy, physiology, and mathematics.
An increased public awareness of environmental problems has made ecology a common but often misused word. It is confused with environmental programs and environmental science (see Environment). Although the field is a distinct scientific discipline, ecology does indeed contribute to the study and understanding of environmental problems.
The term ecology was introduced by the German biologist Ernst Heinrich Haeckel in 1866; it is derived from the Greek oikos ("household"), sharing the same root word as economics. Thus, the term implies the study of the economy of nature. Modern ecology, in part, began with Charles Darwin. In developing his theory of evolution, Darwin stressed the adaptation of organisms to their environment through natural selection. Also making important contributions were plant geographers, such as Alexander von Humboldt, who were deeply interested in the "how" and "why" of vegetational distribution around the world.
Define biotic factors and describe their effects on ecological interactions.
Biotic factors are also know as biotic interactions, and include all the interrelations between and organism and other living organisms around it. Examples of biotic interrelationships include symbiotic relationships (predation, parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism), competition (interspecific and intraspecific competition), scavengers, and decomposers.
Biotic factors are all the living orgnisms in the environment and their effects, both direct and indirect, on other living things. Biotic factors exist only in the biosphere, which goes from the ocean floor to the highest point in the atmosphere where life exists (about 20 km).
Autotrophs are the lowest level of producers. They make their own food using carbon dioxide. Most, called phototrophs, carry on photosynthesis. A few, called chemotrophs, carry on chemosynthesis. These are the only organisms that can make their own food.
Heterotrophs cannot make their own food; they must eat other organisms to obtain nutrients. They are classified as herbivores, carnivores (predators or scavengers), omnivores, or saprobes, according to what thay eat and how they obtain food. Herbivores eat only plants (phototrophs).
Carnivores eat other animals. Some are predators, and some are scavengers. Predators attack and kill their prey. Scavengers eat dead animals they find.
Omnivores eat both plants and animals.
Saprobes are decomposers. They break down the remains of dead plants and animals. Saprobes are usually bacteria and fungi.
Symbiotic relationships are relationships in which two different organisms live in close association to the benefit of one or both. There are three types of symbiosis: mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. In mutualism, both organisms benefit. In commensalism, one benefits and the other is not affected. In paasitism, one benefits and the other is harmed. The organism tht is harmed is the host. The organism that benefits is the parasite. Some parasites slightly harm the host. Some kill them. Some parasites absorb nutrients from the host that the host needs to survive. Symbiotic relationships are not always permanent. Also, it is sometimes unclear if an organism is helped or harmed by such a relationship.
The role of a species in an ecosystem is its niche; how, when, and where it obtains nutrients, its reproductive behavior; and its direct and indirect effects on the environment and on other species. When the niches of two organisms overlap, there is competition. Competition increases as the degree of overlap increases, as resources decrease, and as population increases. When the competition is between organisms of different species, it is called interspecific competition. If the niches of two species are identical, then one of the species gets eliminated from the ecosystem, leaving the succesful species to occupy the niche. In some cases, the niches may change just enough that the two species coexist because they are able to partition resources. This is called resource partitioning.
When the competition is between two organisms of the same species, it is called intraspecific competition. The organisms with the best adaptations are more likely to survive.
Define abiotic factors and describe how each of the following abiotic factors affects ecological interactions: availability of water, changes in temperature, amount of light present in the environment, availability of organic and inorganic nutrients, and composition of soil.
Abiotic Factors are physical factors of the environment, such as water, air, light or temperature. The availability of water varies from one region to another on the earths surface. Areas around the equator are hot and humid with heavy rainfall throughout the year. In regions like deserts their is a brief rainy season and almost no rain at all the rest of the year. Rainfall is abundant in regions where there is hot summers and cold winters. The plioar regions are cold, and precipation is in the form of snow. The changes in temperature varies with latitude and with altitude. As the altitude rises, the temperature falls. The warmest average temperature on the earths surface are around the equator. The north and south poles are the coldest regions on earth. The amount of light present in the environment depends on the amount of sunlight striking a given area of thee earth's surface changes. Areas around the north and south ploes recieve light of the year weakest intensity. Areas around the equator about 12 hours of daylight throughout the year. At both, the north and south poles, the sun does not rise above the horizon for the six winter months every year. During the summer, the sun never sets. The amount of sunlight are caused by the daily rotation of the earth. The availability of inorganic and organic nutrients depends on soluble minerals in the rock that dissolve in water. When organisms die, their remains are mixed with the rock particles, adding organic matter to the soil. The composition of soil includes organic matter and various living organisms. The dark, rich organic matter is the topsoil is called humus. Beaneath the topsoil is a layer of subsoil.
Describe the makeup of the earth's biosphere.
The biosphere includes the regions of the Earth where one can find living organisms. The biosphere includes the atmosphere, the lithosphere, and the hydrosphere.
The hydrosphere is the water portion of the planet, the lakes, oceans rivers, ponds and all other bodies of water. The atmosphere which is the gaseous part of the planet, and the lithosphere is the part which is located beneath the atmosphere and the ocean. The lithosphere is also known as the Solid Earth. The biosphere is the totality of life on earth, this is where all living organisms are located.
Describe the makeup of the earth's atmosphere and understand the biological importance of the earth's atmosphere to life including: its composition relative to the presence of gases vital to life as we know it, its role in protection against radiation, and its role as a heat sink (climate control).
The Earth's atmosphere is made up of two primary gases. It consists of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. There are also traces of other gases such as argon (just less than 1%) and carbon dioxide (about 0.03%). The atmosphere has many biological importances . For example the gases found in the atmosphere are essential to life. Plants use Carbon dioxide as their source of carbon for the synthesis of food not only used by the plants but also by all the consumers that feed upon them including the cecomposers. Nitrogen in the atmosphere is first converted into useful form (ammonia and nitrates)by the process of nitrogen fixation. Plants require these nitrogen compounds to synthesize amino acids which are in turn used in the production of the world's protein. Consumers, which cannot produce their own amino acids, need to eat the plants to obtain their nitrogen. Humans also depend on both plants and animals to obtain their supply of nitrogen. Oxygen is also vital to life. Without diatomic oxygen gas (O2) to support aerobic respiration, there would be no animal or human life as we presently know it.
The atmosphere also has a role in the protection against ultraviolet radiation. Triatomic oxygen (O3), also known as ozone, is formed in the upper atmosphere, and acts as a blocking or filtering layer, blocking much of the Sun's incoming ultraviolent radiation. This important protective layer is commonly known as the oxone layer.
The atmosphere also plays a role in climate control. Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gases (including water vapour, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and the man-made halocarbons) help to trap infra red radiation and help to warm the atmosphere. As a result, Carbon Dioxide acts to insulate the Earth from extreme temperatures; keeping heat inside the atmosphere. This phenomenon is known as the greenhouse effect.
Ever sense the early 1980's, scientists have had immense concern for what is called, The Enhanced Greenhouse Effect or Global Warming. This process occurs due mainly to human industrialization. The excess Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gases being released into the atmoshpere traps and retains the suns heat, reflecting it back to earth. As a result, the earths average temperature is gradually rising. In fact, studies have shown that the earth has warmed an approximate 0.5 degrees Celisus over the past 100 years. This number is estimated to rise to 3 degrees before the end of this century. Although this number may seem relatively small, this temperature increase can cause significant changes to the climate across the globe, effecting various life forms.
Some scientists speculate that Global Warming may lead to droughts, forest fires and famines. Another concern is for the melting of the icecaps. Major costal cities across the globe can be flooded, or completely submerged. Many animals that live in Artic habitats will also be lost forever and with warmer temperatures, comes more disease or heat realated problems, such as heat stroke. These and many other examples demonstrate the severity of Global Warming.
Although this topic is a deep concern for environmentalist as well as the government, many believe that there is no need to panic. The Greenhouse Effect is a gradual process, allowing time for research on how to approach this problem. However, it's quite evident that if something isn't done soon, it will be too late.
Define ecology.
Ecology is the study of the interactions between living organisms and their biotic and abiotic environments. Ecology is therefore the study of the relationship of plants and animals to their physical and biological environment. The physical environment includes light and heat or solar radiation, moisture, wind, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients in soil, water, and atmosphere. The biological environment includes organisms of the same kind as well as all other plants and animals that cohabit the same environmental region, as well as (in some cases) nearby regions.
Because of the diverse approaches required to study organisms in their environment, ecology draws upon such fields as climatology, hydrology, oceanography, physics, chemistry, geology, and soil analysis. To study the relationships between organisms, ecology also involves such disparate sciences as animal behavior, taxonomy, physiology, and mathematics.
An increased public awareness of environmental problems has made ecology a common but often misused word. It is confused with environmental programs and environmental science (see Environment). Although the field is a distinct scientific discipline, ecology does indeed contribute to the study and understanding of environmental problems.
The term ecology was introduced by the German biologist Ernst Heinrich Haeckel in 1866; it is derived from the Greek oikos ("household"), sharing the same root word as economics. Thus, the term implies the study of the economy of nature. Modern ecology, in part, began with Charles Darwin. In developing his theory of evolution, Darwin stressed the adaptation of organisms to their environment through natural selection. Also making important contributions were plant geographers, such as Alexander von Humboldt, who were deeply interested in the "how" and "why" of vegetational distribution around the world.
Define biotic factors and describe their effects on ecological interactions.
Biotic factors are also know as biotic interactions, and include all the interrelations between and organism and other living organisms around it. Examples of biotic interrelationships include symbiotic relationships (predation, parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism), competition (interspecific and intraspecific competition), scavengers, and decomposers.
Biotic factors are all the living orgnisms in the environment and their effects, both direct and indirect, on other living things. Biotic factors exist only in the biosphere, which goes from the ocean floor to the highest point in the atmosphere where life exists (about 20 km).
Autotrophs are the lowest level of producers. They make their own food using carbon dioxide. Most, called phototrophs, carry on photosynthesis. A few, called chemotrophs, carry on chemosynthesis. These are the only organisms that can make their own food.
Heterotrophs cannot make their own food; they must eat other organisms to obtain nutrients. They are classified as herbivores, carnivores (predators or scavengers), omnivores, or saprobes, according to what thay eat and how they obtain food. Herbivores eat only plants (phototrophs).
Carnivores eat other animals. Some are predators, and some are scavengers. Predators attack and kill their prey. Scavengers eat dead animals they find.
Omnivores eat both plants and animals.
Saprobes are decomposers. They break down the remains of dead plants and animals. Saprobes are usually bacteria and fungi.
Symbiotic relationships are relationships in which two different organisms live in close association to the benefit of one or both. There are three types of symbiosis: mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. In mutualism, both organisms benefit. In commensalism, one benefits and the other is not affected. In paasitism, one benefits and the other is harmed. The organism tht is harmed is the host. The organism that benefits is the parasite. Some parasites slightly harm the host. Some kill them. Some parasites absorb nutrients from the host that the host needs to survive. Symbiotic relationships are not always permanent. Also, it is sometimes unclear if an organism is helped or harmed by such a relationship.
The role of a species in an ecosystem is its niche; how, when, and where it obtains nutrients, its reproductive behavior; and its direct and indirect effects on the environment and on other species. When the niches of two organisms overlap, there is competition. Competition increases as the degree of overlap increases, as resources decrease, and as population increases. When the competition is between organisms of different species, it is called interspecific competition. If the niches of two species are identical, then one of the species gets eliminated from the ecosystem, leaving the succesful species to occupy the niche. In some cases, the niches may change just enough that the two species coexist because they are able to partition resources. This is called resource partitioning.
When the competition is between two organisms of the same species, it is called intraspecific competition. The organisms with the best adaptations are more likely to survive.
Define abiotic factors and describe how each of the following abiotic factors affects ecological interactions: availability of water, changes in temperature, amount of light present in the environment, availability of organic and inorganic nutrients, and composition of soil.
Abiotic Factors are physical factors of the environment, such as water, air, light or temperature. The availability of water varies from one region to another on the earths surface. Areas around the equator are hot and humid with heavy rainfall throughout the year. In regions like deserts their is a brief rainy season and almost no rain at all the rest of the year. Rainfall is abundant in regions where there is hot summers and cold winters. The plioar regions are cold, and precipation is in the form of snow. The changes in temperature varies with latitude and with altitude. As the altitude rises, the temperature falls. The warmest average temperature on the earths surface are around the equator. The north and south poles are the coldest regions on earth. The amount of light present in the environment depends on the amount of sunlight striking a given area of thee earth's surface changes. Areas around the north and south ploes recieve light of the year weakest intensity. Areas around the equator about 12 hours of daylight throughout the year. At both, the north and south poles, the sun does not rise above the horizon for the six winter months every year. During the summer, the sun never sets. The amount of sunlight are caused by the daily rotation of the earth. The availability of inorganic and organic nutrients depends on soluble minerals in the rock that dissolve in water. When organisms die, their remains are mixed with the rock particles, adding organic matter to the soil. The composition of soil includes organic matter and various living organisms. The dark, rich organic matter is the topsoil is called humus. Beaneath the topsoil is a layer of subsoil.
Describe the makeup of the earth's biosphere.
The biosphere includes the regions of the Earth where one can find living organisms. The biosphere includes the atmosphere, the lithosphere, and the hydrosphere.
The hydrosphere is the water portion of the planet, the lakes, oceans rivers, ponds and all other bodies of water. The atmosphere which is the gaseous part of the planet, and the lithosphere is the part which is located beneath the atmosphere and the ocean. The lithosphere is also known as the Solid Earth. The biosphere is the totality of life on earth, this is where all living organisms are located.
Describe the makeup of the earth's atmosphere and understand the biological importance of the earth's atmosphere to life including: its composition relative to the presence of gases vital to life as we know it, its role in protection against radiation, and its role as a heat sink (climate control).
The Earth's atmosphere is made up of two primary gases. It consists of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. There are also traces of other gases such as argon (just less than 1%) and carbon dioxide (about 0.03%). The atmosphere has many biological importances . For example the gases found in the atmosphere are essential to life. Plants use Carbon dioxide as their source of carbon for the synthesis of food not only used by the plants but also by all the consumers that feed upon them including the cecomposers. Nitrogen in the atmosphere is first converted into useful form (ammonia and nitrates)by the process of nitrogen fixation. Plants require these nitrogen compounds to synthesize amino acids which are in turn used in the production of the world's protein. Consumers, which cannot produce their own amino acids, need to eat the plants to obtain their nitrogen. Humans also depend on both plants and animals to obtain their supply of nitrogen. Oxygen is also vital to life. Without diatomic oxygen gas (O2) to support aerobic respiration, there would be no animal or human life as we presently know it.
The atmosphere also has a role in the protection against ultraviolet radiation. Triatomic oxygen (O3), also known as ozone, is formed in the upper atmosphere, and acts as a blocking or filtering layer, blocking much of the Sun's incoming ultraviolent radiation. This important protective layer is commonly known as the oxone layer.
The atmosphere also plays a role in climate control. Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gases (including water vapour, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and the man-made halocarbons) help to trap infra red radiation and help to warm the atmosphere. As a result, Carbon Dioxide acts to insulate the Earth from extreme temperatures; keeping heat inside the atmosphere. This phenomenon is known as the greenhouse effect.
Ever sense the early 1980's, scientists have had immense concern for what is called, The Enhanced Greenhouse Effect or Global Warming. This process occurs due mainly to human industrialization. The excess Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gases being released into the atmoshpere traps and retains the suns heat, reflecting it back to earth. As a result, the earths average temperature is gradually rising. In fact, studies have shown that the earth has warmed an approximate 0.5 degrees Celisus over the past 100 years. This number is estimated to rise to 3 degrees before the end of this century. Although this number may seem relatively small, this temperature increase can cause significant changes to the climate across the globe, effecting various life forms.
Some scientists speculate that Global Warming may lead to droughts, forest fires and famines. Another concern is for the melting of the icecaps. Major costal cities across the globe can be flooded, or completely submerged. Many animals that live in Artic habitats will also be lost forever and with warmer temperatures, comes more disease or heat realated problems, such as heat stroke. These and many other examples demonstrate the severity of Global Warming.
Although this topic is a deep concern for environmentalist as well as the government, many believe that there is no need to panic. The Greenhouse Effect is a gradual process, allowing time for research on how to approach this problem. However, it's quite evident that if something isn't done soon, it will be too late.
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